The New Face of the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London

During my visits to London, I had the chance to stay at the Royal Lancaster Hotel 3 years ago. Recently, I returned to the hotel, as I wanted to see how it looks and what it offers after a massive refurbishment that ended last year, which had an impressive cost of £80 million. As you can imagine, my curiosity was stirred and I wanted to see how my current experience would differ from the ones I had in the past. After all, it was a massive renovation that required a large investment, and I was eager to see the new face of the Royal Lancaster Hotel.

The hotel is located right next to the beautiful Hyde Park. Ever since then, the Royal Lancaster strived to offer excellent services to its guests, not just through its accommodation services, but also through outstanding food and other particularities which can’t be found at other hotels. For example, this is a hotel that embraces sustainability, having their own bee colonies on a section of the hotel’s roof. We all know that bees are such an important part of the ecosystem, as they help plants to spread their pollen, so they can produce flowers and fruits. Besides this, the guests of the hotel will be able to enjoy fresh organic honey straight off the honeycomb. In my opinion, this is the best honey I’ve tried throughout London, so I think that this aspect is definitely a plus.

So, what changes did I notice in the newly renovated hotel? First of all, the lobby popped out as it appeared more luxurious than I remembered it, with comfortable sofas and staff that are extremely friendly and professional. Also, the bees and preservation of our environment appeared to be the main theme of the renovation, as the hotel now has low-energy high-tech elevators among others, as well as bee colonies in their care. So, if you are concerned about the safety of our environment and appreciate high-quality and luxury in a responsible and sustainable manner, then the Royal Lancaster is the hotel for you. Also, the hotel is ideal for families, as the hotel offers a wide range of items that will make your stay here easier with children, like pushchairs, high chairs, baby bathtubs, and others, plus there is a special menu made to suit the needs of children.

For my stay at the Royal Lancaster, I had the Executive room, which is a generous 31 sq. meters room. This particular room is decorated in a classic yet elegant manner, and it is capable of providing breathtaking views of Hyde Park and London’s skyline, due to the fact that it is located on the upper floors. Besides the large bed, the room also provides a comfortable and spacious sofa and a working desk, just in case you still need to work on something while in the room. As a result, you will also find all the plugs you need for your devices around the room. The hotel also provided a complimentary Handy Smartphone, to be used according to your needs. With the help of this smartphone, you can find your way around London, due to the embedded London guide, you enjoy unlimited data transfer, which is useful if you want to access the Internet on the go, and you can make unlimited UK phone calls while in London. The bathroom is also worth being mentioned, as it is covered with gorgeous marble and provides high-quality personal care products.

When it comes to breakfast, I simply enjoyed the moment, as everything was fresh and healthy. The breakfast was served at the Island Grill restaurant, where there was a buffet with a wide range of foods in the English breakfast style. However, besides ham, beans, and sausages, you could also choose any of the cheese specialties, vegetables, salads, healthy smoothies, freshly-squeezed fruit juices, and fresh baguettes. What was amazing is the fact that a whole honeycomb was available at the buffet as well. So, if you were in the mood for some delicious, sweet, and fresh honey, all you had to do is get as much as you want straight from the honeycomb. This way, you can be sure that the honey is natural and unprocessed, being offered to you exactly how the bees make it. It was indeed a breakfast that every foodie would enjoy.

However, the breakfast was not the only culinary experience I had at this hotel. I just couldn’t leave without trying one of the hotel’s restaurants, with the Island Grill focusing on locally-sourced top British food, and NIPA Thai, which serves exquisite dishes from Thailand’s cuisine. The deco of the restaurant is made in the same modern and stylish manner, with English accents, of course. It has a really nice atmosphere and surroundings for serving dinner. Located on the first floor of the hotel, the restaurant managed to win several awards, due to the outstanding food and services it offers. What makes this Thai restaurant so special? It uses fresh and authentic Thai ingredients, so the taste of the food here will be just like it is in Thailand. It is the ideal escape to a more remote and exotic part of the world, without the need to leave London. The restaurant offers both traditional Thai dishes and an à la carte menu, so every food enthusiast can find their ideal dish here.

After such a great dinner, a fine glass of drink is more than welcome. This can be served at the Hyde lobby bar, which has an ideal setting and an exceptional mixologist for preparing delicious cocktails. If you stop by, you must try the Queen Bees cocktail, as it is made with real honey syrup prepared by the specialized staff of the hotel. So, I must say that the experience I had at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, after its considerable renovation, was more than impressive. The hotel looks great, has a very nice and responsible concept, and provides outstanding services. It is really one of the best hotels with a Hyde Park view that you can visit in London.